Recently, more and more individuals are relying on mobile communication devices, such as smart phones, to place and receive voice calls. Additionally, software-based telephony applications that utilize Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology can be executed on portable computing devices (e.g., tablet computers and laptop computers) having network connectivity, thereby enabling those devices to operate as mobile communication devices. These smart phones and portable computing devices are also capable of providing their users with a plethora of useful and entertaining features that extend far beyond telephony services. For example, such smart phones and portable computing devices can also run a multitude of different applications that enable a user to send and receive e-mails and instant messages, browse the Web, maintain a calendar or contact list, obtain weather information, obtain location information and maps, take pictures, create, obtain and play video and/or audio content, create and review documents, and the like.
In contrast to these mobile communication devices, conventional desktop telephones typically do not provide such a rich array of features. Rather, the utility of these telephones has changed little from when they were first introduced. Even so, many users have become accustomed to the more traditional interface provided by desktop telephones and are thus less comfortable with the telephony interfaces provided by mobile communication devices. For example, some users are more comfortable entering telephone numbers using a traditional keypad than they are interacting with numbers appearing on a touch screen display of a smart phone. As another example, some users are more comfortable conducting a voice call using a traditional handset that is ergonomically designed for interaction with a human face than they are conducting a voice call using a smart phone or portable computing device. Moreover, many users prefer the reliability of a dedicated telephone device that is always available and not at the mercy of a computer being powered down, disconnected from the network, or experiencing performance problems.
In addition, many desktop telephones are wired telephones while many mobile communication devices rely on wireless communication. Many users believe that wired telephones possess superior voice call quality and higher reliability when compared to mobile communication devices that rely on wireless communication.